The HBS Show began in 1974 with a handful
of students, a few comedy sketches, song parodies, and one spotlight
and now has transformed into a full-length Broadway style
musical that is entirely written, directed, produced, and performed by
HBS students. For the past two years, we’ve had the privilege of
writing and directing the 40th and 41st HBS Shows.

The show is written to encapsulate life at HBS within the context of a
popular movie, musical, or television theme. You can literally apply any
theme to the world of HBS...go ahead...try it, we’ll wait...see, isn’t it
fun? We’ve spent many amusing hours of our #lifeatHBS deep in these kinds
of thoughts. Last year, the Show theme was ‘Charlie and the Leaders Who
Make A Difference in the World Factory’ and the most recent theme for the
Show was ‘Harry Potter and the Classcard of Secrets.' It takes an entire
year and over 60 RC and EC students and partners to go from theme
conception to a live performance in Burden Auditorium.

The HBS campus is always buzzing with conferences, networking events and
themed parties but what makes the HBS Show special is that it is the one
event on campus that does not serve a student’s academic agenda, job
search, social calendar or any of the typical things a student is supposed
to do in business school. The HBS Show is created purely for the enjoyment
of the HBS Community. It is a time for the community to laugh at
ourselves...a lot.

Dean Nohria and Dee Leopold see themselves parodied each year and can
attest that no one is spared when it comes to poking fun. However, it
is also a time to celebrate the
experiences we have had at HBS which is why the
entire student body, faculty, staff and alumni fill Burden Auditorium
every year.

As writers and directors, we wanted the Show to be a vehicle through
which the community came to laugh, be astounded by the talent of their
classmates, find themselves and their experiences reflected on stage and
leave feeling overwhelmed with happiness at having chosen to spend two
years of their lives at HBS. We hope that is our legacy and we hope that is
the show’s legacy.

The #1 thing we and our cast and crew hear following the HBS Show is
“thank you.” Thank you from ECs who are grateful for one last opportunity
to remember and laugh at the incredible, and at times ridiculous,
experiences HBS brings. Thank you from RCs who are overworked and exhausted
by April and had, at times, put up blinders to the magic of HBS. If HBS
could measure love, it would surely peak on campus during the week of the
Show.

As much as we love to hear people’s thanks, as Directors we can’t help
but feel we owe The HBS Show the most gratitude. The Show gave us so many
things: a management experience unlike anything we had prior to school, a
vehicle to meet some of HBS’s most talented students who we now have the
privilege to call dear friends, and most importantly the opportunity to
deeply reflect about the experiences we have had as HBS students in order
to bring it to life on the stage.

It means we have taken every moment over the last two years to stop and
look around and truly see HBS. Yes, it was in our job description but it
has been an enormous gift to us.